Carrot Kheer

Carrot kheer is a nutritious and delicious Indian dessert that can be easily made at home. The addition of milk and carrots makes this dessert very nutritious. The milk gets richer and creamier and combines with the carrot purée bringing out a sweet and delightful dish. It is very simple to make and it is quite a relishing treat both children and adults will love it. This kheer can be enjoyed either hot or cold.This dessert is my family's favorite dish.

Ingredients:

Carrot medium size – 3 (Peeled and Grated)

Condensed milk – ½ cup

 Milk – 2½ cup

Chopped nuts – few

 Sugar – ½ Cup or to taste

 Cardamom – 1 tsp

 Ghee –1 tbsp

 Saffron - few strands (optional)

 Method:

1.Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan and roast the nuts to golden and remove. Add the raisins and fry them just until they swell up a bit and remove.

2.Then add the grated carrots to the same ghee and roast it on a slow flame till the raw smell goes. Keep aside.

3.Take a heavy bottom vessel, set aside a cup of milk and add rest to the vessel. Heat the milk & bring it to a boil, 

4.Add Carrots to the milk and cook till until it thickens and keep stirring till it reduces a little in volume.

 

5.Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then add it to a blender. Finely grind the carrot and nut mixture until it is a thin paste.

6.the carrot paste, the rest of the milk, and the sugar, condensed milk to a saucepan. Slowly boil the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.

7.Simmer for another 10minutes. Then add the roasted cashewnuts & raisins, bring the mixture to a boil and switch off the flame. Finally, add the cardamon powder and mix well. !

8.If the consistency is bit solid add some milk! Garnished with the finely chopped pistachios and a few saffron strands.

Serve chill or Hot your choice :) 

Tirunelveli Halwa /Wheat Halwa

Being a native of Tirunelveli I always proudly says that I am from Tirunelveli Dist. Tirunelveli one of the most charming places in Tamil Nadu and It is also home for natural wonders in its surroundings that attracts tourists from different parts of the world.  Tirunelveli is also known as the Halwa town. Tirunelveli is popular state-wide for its famous halwa which is a sweet dish made primarily from wheat and sugar. 

Tirunelveli halwa is have its own  rich taste,blended with the renowned sweetness of the Thamarabarani river.The copper content in this water embraced and giving heavenly taste to the sweet dish.This Halwa is a golden brown, semi-solid in texture and contains a lot of ghee/vanaspati which gives it the oily look.In our village this wheat halwa / Tirunelvel halwa  is a prominent one for any functions/festivals. In our village  for any function we prepare this halwa. I have made this halwa several times. It stays fresh for more than 10 days. I do not add any artificial colors. I caramelize sugar it will give brown color to halwa)Today I made this halwa for my daughter’s Birthday.:)

 

 Ingredients:

Wheat Grains(Samba Gothumai): 1cup

Sugar: 4 cup

Ghee: 3 cup

Cashew nuts-50gms

 

Method:

Soak the wheat is sufficient amount of water for 8 hrs

Grind the wheat with some water and extract the wheat milk.To get the milk, grind the wheat in mixie/blender for 5 minutes and filter out the milk. Grind the wheat with fresh water again and filter. Repeat this at least 3 times.

The extracted milk needs to be undisturbed for min 10 hours or overnight.In the morning, you will find that the thick milk has settled at the bottom and then remove the top layer of water and retain only the thick milk.In this milk add 4 to 5 cups of water and mix well. 

 

Take a  pan add one cup of sugar and melt it to get caramel color( it will give brown color to halwa)

Then In a heavy bottom pan add water and sugar, cook on medium flame and prepare 1 thread consistency sugar syrup. 

Once sugar syrup is ready reduce flame to slow and add extracted milk slowly and keep stirring.

 

Once it reaches semi solid stage, add ghee little by little and keep on stirring.After another 1 hour or so, the ghee will start oozing out.The halwa will look transparent as well.When you take the mixture in the laddle, it should slide and not stick to the ladle.

 

Add cashew and stir for another 10 mins. Mix well add more ghee if you need. 

 

When the ghee oozes out in the corner the halwa is done so keep stirring until it will be glossy, forms a mass. 

 

Switch off the flame and you can either serve it hot directly or place it on a greased plate and cut into any shape.

Herb Focaccia with Cherry Tomatoes

Focaccia is a flat, chewy Italian bread that tastes wonderful with added herbs and toppings.. It tastes simply delicious, the cheese adding a savory note and the cherry tomatoes providing a perfect foil to the olive oil infused bread. I was searching in Google for bread recipes and this Italian bread caught all my attention due to the addition of herbs. This bread can be adjusted according to your taste. In authentic recipe they use Italian herbs (basil, Thyme, oregano, rosemary). I had only oregano, thyme and mixed spices at home., so I made few variations in topping by mixing kasuri methi,herbs and cheese. This is the first time I have made bread from the scratch, although I’m not of a bread baking expert yet but My First Attempt of this bread really turned out great and gorgeous looking.

 My First Attempt of making Bread-Tried & Tasted! 

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour – 2-1/2 Cups

 Active Dry Yeast – 1-1/4 tsp

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Water – 1 cup

Olive oil – 4 tbsp

Salt – 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp

Italian Seasoning – 1/4 tsp

Garlic, finely chopped –5 to 6 cloves

A mixture of these herbs –, oregano, Thyme, Mixed spices– 1 tsp. each

 

Topping:

Cherry tomatoes

kasuri methi (Dry fenugreek leaves)- 2 tsps

Herbs- 1 tsp

Grated Parmesan cheese - ¼ cup

Olive oil - 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Microwave the water in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Sprinkle the dry yeast over the water and stir vigorously till it somewhat dissolves and becomes a pasty texture. Cover and keep aside for 10 Minutes. .

2. After 10 minutes when it has frothed add 3 tbsp of olive oil, mix gently and keep aside.

 

For the Focaccia:

3. In a big mixing bowl tip in flour, salt, red chilli powder, pepper powder ,Italian seasoning, finely chopped garlic and mix well with your finger tips.

4. Add the developed yeast solution and bring everything together till they form into a dough. Knead for 8-10 minutes till the dough is smooth to the touch.

5. Smear olive oil all over the dough and place it in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel or cling wrap and let it rest for 1-2 hours or till it doubles in a warm place.

6. Punch the dough to release the air and place the dough in a greased baking tin. Cover and let it once more rest for another 1/2 hour.

 

7. Make a few dimples on top the dough’s surface with your finger. Brush the top with olive oil and top with cherry tomatoes, Kasuri methi, herbs & cheese.

8. Bake in a pre heated oven 180 Deg Celsius for 30 minutes or till the top becomes golden brown.

9. Take the baking tray  out and Brush with very little olive oil; sprinkle with grated cheese while still warm. Cut into desired shapes

10. Cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve hot with tomato sauce.

Savory Maida Biscuits – Diamond Cuts

This Savory biscuit is tasty crunchy flour chips made out of wheat flour or Maida. It is one of the easiest snack recipes which can be prepared at home with very few ingredients. It is a perfect tea time snack. I prepare both sweet and salted version of this biscuit. This recipe is very easy to prepare and I used to do whenever if we think to have some crunchy snacks. 

Ingredients:

Maida – 2 cups

Ghee or butter -2 tbsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Hing/Asafoetida -1/4 tsp

Cumin / jeera-1/2 tsp

Salt as needed

Oil for frying

Method:

1.First mix butter /ghee and cooking soda cream together vigorously well with your hands .

2.Then add maida, chilli powder, jeera, hing and salt. Add water very little at a time and knead into a firm ball of dough.

3.It should not be sticky, just moist. Add more flour and knead in if your dough is too sticky. Set aside.

4.Heat oil for frying. Then Take Pinch off a lemon-sized amount of dough and roll into a ball between your palms.

5. Roll into a thin circle neither too thin nor thick and cut into diamonds with a sharp knife .

6.Gently lift the pieces and add to the hot oil and deep fry it in batches till golden brown. Allow it to cool. Then store it in an airtight container.